Destiny 2: Shadowkeep campaign walkthrough
A step-by-step guide for every mission and boss fight in the Destiny 2: Shadowkeep campaign.
Destiny 2: Shadowkeep is finally here and there’s a whole campaign to experience. Players will be sent back to the Moon to fight against the Hive, and a deeper, darker enemy that is awakening. Be prepared to team up with Eris Morn and uncover why the Moon is haunted. Sometimes the path forward might not be clear, so let us shine the line in our Destiny 2: Shadowkeep campaign walkthrough.
Destiny 2: Shadowkeep campaign walkthrough
The Destiny 2: Shadowkeep campaign is several hours long, so expect to put aside 6 to 12 hours of your time finishing the story. Destiny 2 now starts all players at 750 Power, so if you were lagging behind (or you’re just joining), don’t worry that you’ll be underpowered. The adventure begins at 760 Power and creeps up incrementally along the way.
A Mysterious Disturbance – 760 Power
The Moon – Travel to the Moon and stave off the Hive resurgence alongside your fellow Guardians.
The first mission in Shadowkeep is called A Mysterious Disturbance, and has players heading to the Moon for the first time in years. There’s a lot going on in this mission, but the few main points are:
- Fight the Hive
- Drain the Hive sigils by standing below them
- Assault the Scarlet Keep with a Drake
- Fight the Nightmare of Crota, Son of Oryx
Fight through the mission until you get to the section with the Eye of the Swarm and the Hive sigils. There are six sigils around the map, stand below the active sigil to drain it of its power. Once all six are drained, you can attack the Eye of the Swarm.
Use a Drake tank to fight around the entrance to the Scarlet Keep, killing anything that stands in your way. Once you gain access to the labyrinths, fight through the twisting passages until you encounter the Nightmare of Crota, Son of Oryx. This fight is all about surviving and killing waves of enemies. Defeat the Hive until Crota’s immunity shield drops, then deal damage. Continue this until Eris Morn contacts you.
Catching Up
Sanctuary – Find Eris Morn at the encampment in Sanctuary.
Speak with Eris Morn, it’s at this point you can get the Shadowkeep pre-order bonus.
In Search of Answers – Power 760
Hellmouth, The Moon – Investigate the strange Hive behaviour near the Scarlet Keep.
Head to the Scarlet Keep and defeat Nightmares to collect their Phantasmal Particles to better understand their relationship to the Hive. Be careful when fighting the Nightmare Ogres in this section, as they are extremely strong. You only need six Phantasmal Particles and then you can contact Eris.
The Encroaching Nightmare
Sanctuary, The Moon – A Nightmare of Omnigul has stormed through the lunar encampment.
Return to Eris Morn to receive the next step. The Encroaching Nightmare has you cleanse the Essence of Despair by completing activities on the Moon. Collect resources, loot chests, and complete patrols, public events, and Lost Sectors. This is your classic patrol quest. Just go around doing activities until the bar fills.
Essence, Cleansed
Sanctuary, The Moon – The Essence of Despair is cleansed. Its true purpose may now be uncovered.
Return to Eris Morn with the Cleansed Essense. This Hive curios will be used to craft a new piece of armor, the Dreambane armor. The first piece of gear will be a class mod and should drop around 810 Power, giving you a nice bump.
Ghosts of Our Past – Power 770
Eris used a Hive talisman of her own to create the first piece of protective armor. To pass beyond the Pyramid’s warding and discover what lies within, you’ll need to wear a full set of Dreambane armor. Take the first step and hunt the Nightmare of Omnigul.
Fight your way below the surface of the Moon and into the chamber where the Nightmare of Omnigul resides. You will need to kill all the enemies in the room before you can damage her, before then she will be immune. After defeating her, you will receive the Essence of Anguish.
The Keep Looms
Sanctuary, The Moon – Speak with Eris Morn to learn what she believes lies within the Scarlet Keep.
Speak with Eris Morn to learn more about the Hive curios. Your next tasks will be to charge the Essence of Anguish by completing three of Eris’ bounties and to complete the Scarlet Keep strike.
It's at this point some players may encounter a roadblock with the Essence of Anguish. The tool tip will read "Work with Eris to find a solution." This doesn't provide a lot of information. What you will need to do is perform other activities, such as completing the Scarlet Keep strike. Keep referring to the map of the Moon to find where the next quest banner is.
The Scarlet Keep – Power 790
Investigate the Scarlet Keep to locate more Hive curios and discover a connection between the Hive and the Pyramid. Launch the strike “The Scarlet Keep” from the Moon on the Director.
Note: When playing as a Fireteam, some members may find that this step does not complete, despite finishing the Scarlet Keep. You will need to play through again with this teammate as the leader.
The Scarlet Keep strike tasks players with fighting into and to the top of the new Hive fortress that’s been built on the Moon. At the top waits none other than Hashladun, Daughter of Crota. To reach her, you must pass through various challenging rooms that require teamwork and coordination.
First you must break a spell by collecting two void energy balls and bringing them to the center. This grants you access to the outer fortification of the keep. Once inside, you will need to capture three altars. After reaching an elevator, ride it to the top. When the elevator stops, hop off and kill the Wizard and then break the crystal to start the elevator again.
The fight with Hashladun can be quite challenging for a low-Power character. You will need to deal damage to her, knocking her health down through three segments. At each point, she will become immune and enemies will spawn. As with the elevator, defeat the enemies to remove this immunity shield. On the last chunk of health, she will summon two Ogres to fight for her. When Hashludun perishes, you will receive a tome, which can be fused together with the Essence of Anguish.
If you haven’t already done so, you should cleanse the Essence of Anguish.
Dread Purification
Cleanse the Essence of Anguish dropped by Omnigul.
Cleansing the Essence of Anguish is a task that can be completed right after collecting it from Omnigul or after completing the Scarlet Keep step of the Shadowkeep campaign. You will not be able to progress the campaign until you have cleansed this item.
The Essence of Anguish can be found in the Quests tab. To cleanse it, you must complete three of Eris Morn’s daily bounties. At this point in the story, you should have gained access to her bounties.
Another Step Closer
Hasladun’s death has yielded information of great value: the existence of the Hive Cryptoglyph and where to find it.
With the Essence of Anguish cleansed and the Scarlet Keep strike completed, return to Eris Morn to figure out the next step.
In the Deep – Power 800
Archer’s Line, The Moon – Somewhere in the horrific depths of the Hellmouth lies the Hive Cryptoglyph. With it, Eris Morn can craft further Dreambane armor for your quest to find a way inside the Pyramid.
This mission of the Shadowkeep campaign takes you to Archer’s Line and then deep into the Hellmouth to claim the Cryptoglyph. Fight pass the Hive, steal their relic, and fight your way back out. This is a challenging mission, especially if under the recommended Power. During the last section where you must simply escape, try to avoid staying still and fighting, just focus on running.
Back from the Dark
Taking the Cryptoglyph from the Catacombs has interrupted the dark rituals planned by the Hidden Swarm… for now. With the Cryptoglyph and Eris’ magic, you should be able to craft further Dreambane armor.
Take the Cryptoglyph back to Eris.
Lectern of Enchantment
Sanctuary, The Moon – Use the Cryptoglyph to empower the Lectern of Enchantment near Eris Morn.
Now that you have the Cryptoglyph and the Essence of Anguish is fully cleansed, you can use begin the next step. The Cryptoglyph is used to power the Lectern of Enchantment and then the Essence of Anguished can be used to craft the boots of the Dreambane armor set.
Use the Lectern of Enchantment and claim your new boots. Pick up some bounties while you’re there.
An Important Message
Ikora has arrived on the Moon to see the Pyramid for herself and deliver a message. Take the portal near Eris to meet Ikora in the Enduring Abyss on the Moon.
After collecting your Dreambane boots from the Lectern of Enchantment, you will need to find and speak with Ikora. Pass through the portal near Eris to locate Ikora Rey.
The Nightmare Cometh – Power 800, 810, 830, and 850
The Nightmare Cometh will likely be the longest part of the Destiny 2: Shadowkeep campaign. This part has three Nightmares you must track down, culminating in entering the Pyramid. It’s going to be best to approach this from easiest to hardest. Complete all three to be able to craft the full set of Dreambane armor.
Essence of Pride
The first Essence, the Essence of Pride, can be started in the Anchor of Light. This quest tasks you with hunting down the Nightmare of Skolas in the Traitor’s Ketch. Defeat the Nightmares to gain access to the Ketch.
To cleanse the Essence of Pride, you must defeat Nightmares found in Lost Sectors in the EDZ and on Titan, Nessus, and Io. Check out the all Lost Sectors guide if you’re having trouble finding them. Here are a few of the Lost Sectors that contain Nightmares:
- Widow’s Walk, EDZ
- DS Quarters-2, Titan
- The Orrery, Nessus
- Grove of Ulan-Tan, Io
Essence of Isolation
The second Essence, the Essence of Isolation, is also located in the Anchor of Light, slightly closer to the Scarlet Keep. Search on top of the circular building in the center of the area. This Nightmare Hunt has you hunt the Nightmare of Taniks in the Temple of Crota.
To cleanse the Essence of Isolation, you must defeat 100 Fallen on the Moon.
Essence of Fear
The third and final Essence, the Essence of Fear, is started in the Hellmouth. The focus of this Nightmare Hunt is to take down the Nightmare of Phogoth. Descend into the Summoning Pits and kill Phogoth once again.
To cleanse the Essence of Fear, you must defeat 100 Hive on the Moon.
After completing the armor, return to Eris Morn for the step, The Pyramid Awaits. Complete this step before moving on to the step, Beyond.
The Pyramid Awaits
Sanctuary, The Moon – You now have a full set of Dreambane armor. Return to Eris Morn for final preparations before entering the Pyramid.
Speak with Eris Morn to hear a speech about what awaits. She will direct you to find a way into the Pyramid.
Beyond – Power 850
Sorrow’s Harbor, The Moon – What secrets lie within the Pyramid? It sits in silence, waiting for you. Head to the Enduring Abyss, past the Pyramid’s warding, and find a way inside.
Use the Sorrow’s Harbor fast travel point and head toward the Scarlet Keep. Activate the banner to begin the last step, Beyond. This mission has you fighting Nightmares from your past and then pressing into the Pyramid to discover its secrets. In the interest of avoiding spoilers, simply continue fighting and pushing onward.
On the Other Side
After inspecting the artifact and seeing the cutscenes, you will need to speak with Eris Morn. Listen to her and then take your rewards: the Essence of Brutality and the Memory of Sai Mota. At this point you can also complete her weekly bounty, Lunar Spelunker and Luna’s Recall.
The Vanguard’s Take
Share your findings from the Moon with the Vanguard leaders in the Tower.
Travel to the Tower to let Zavala know what you found on the Moon. Your reward for talking to Zavala is an Enhancement Prism. Next, go to Ikora Rey in the Bazaar. Your reward will be a class-specific Exotic armor from Shadowkeep. This brings the Shadowkeep campaign to an end.
Now that you’ve reached the end of the Destiny 2: Shadowkeep campaign, you can begin the grind from 900 to the new max Power level. Beyond that waits the Garden of Salvation raid, and the end-game chase for better gear. Be sure to check out the Shacknews Destiny 2 guide for even more Shadowkeep guides.
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